Local child diagnosed with Acute Flaccid Myelitis, paralyzed from the head down

Acute Flaccid Myelitis is a rare disabling disease which primarily attacks children.  Parents, friends and others who care are helping Kayla.

Pacifica Tribune/Letters to the Editor, 7/6/16, "Kayla’s Journey" by Mickey Montgomery

Kayla Wong age 2 1/2
requires 24 hour care

"I want to thank everyone on behalf of Sabrina, Dennis and my family for all of your help.
I can’t thank this community enough for all the support you have given. Pacifica is a place I am proud to have grown up. I want to thank everyone for the fundraisers, those who participated, the Go Fund Me and a special thank you to Vanessa and Bella.

I want to thank all of my customers at Adobe Hairitage, The Hair Factory, Ortega & Cabrillo schools, Safeway customers, Steve Charlton, Bettyann and Rich Montylewski, Katie and Erik Schram, Mimi Quirarte, Debbie Lee and The Rockaway’s, Nicole Ortega and friends, Jerry Newland, Rhondell, Cioppo Dinner (Steve), The Longboard Margarita Bar, Sam’s Chowder House, Karrie, my family, Maureen, John, Justin, Angela, Vaughn and Ruby, Shane, Christiana & Clayton. Everyone who has supported and helped with the boys, food, gardening, cleaning the house and setting up Kayla’s room. All the people we don’t even know who have reached out a hand to help.

I also want to thank anyone who we inadvertently may have been left out as there are so many people who have helped. Please continue to pray and support Kayla in her long journey to recover from this horrible virus (Acute Flaccid Myelitis) that paralyzed our 2 1/2 year old little girl. You can follow her journey on Facebook (Kayla’s Journey)."

Reference, Kayla.  Kayla's Journey - Facebook, including (Kayla's Journey, four profile photographs).  About:  "Please join me in following Kayla's journey to get well again. Kayla was paralyzed on February 8 2016 by a virus causing her to have acute flaccid myelits."  Go Fund Me/Kayla Wong.  "On Monday, February 8th, the daughter of a good friend of mine was hospitalized. She has been in the hospital ever since. We are asking for donations for the family. This will be used for gas, food, and any other expenses. Any little bit counts!" (Richard Schikore, Jr.).  Note photograph from Kayla's Journey Facebook.

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Reference, medical condition:  Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, (Today's care, tomorrow's cure", see " Acute Flaccid Myelitis, 10/29/15, pdf pages 3. "Enteroviruses belong to a common family of illness that include cold symptoms and rashes as well as polio. Recently, there has been a sharp increase in the number of enterovirus D68 cases and with it, an increase number of clusters of children sick with breathing problems leading to paralysis associated with the malady know as acute flaccid myelitis. .... The symptoms begin as a cold and develop into a respiratory infection. It can then develop into a flaccid muscle paralysis with polio-like symptoms. Researchers and doctors have not yet been able to make a definite connection between this enterovirus and the polio-like systoms that sometimes follow the respiratory infection.  While two thirds of the patients with acute flaccid myelitis have had some improvement in symptoms, one third has not yet improved; one patient has fully recovered." Journals and related articles are attached.

Reference, other sources.  Wikipedia,  "Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), formerly described as "acute flaccid paralysis with anterior myelitis" or "polio-like syndrome", is an acute neurologic illness in children with focal limb weakness of unknown etiology. ...." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "Five people with confirmed AFM have been reported to CDC from January to April, 2016. Overall in 2015, 20 people from 12 states were reported to have confirmed AFM." American Academy of Pediatrics, "The CDC and healthcare professionals are working to better understand causes of these cases and how often the illness occurs. One possibility under consideration is whether the cases of acute flaccid myelitis may be linked to the outbreak of severe respiratory illness caused by enterovirus D68 (EV-D68)."  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/AFM Surveillance. "Five people with confirmed AFM have been reported to CDC from January to April, 2016. Overall in 2015, 20 people from 12 states were reported to have confirmed AFM."  Related news article, International Business Times/Matt Atherton, 12/22/15, Internatinal Business Times/Matt Atherton, 12/22/15. "Acute flaccid myelitis: Rare paralysing polio-like virus spreads California Children."  "The number of cases of a rare virus, which causes muscle paralysis and polio-like symptoms, is rapidly on the rise in California. Researchers found nearly 60 cases of the acute flaccid myelitis syndrome have appeared since 2012, while there were no cases in the 14 years previous. .... Cases were most recorded in young children, with the median age at nine years old.The most common symptoms recorded included respiratory or gastrointestinal illness (54 cases), fever (47 cases) and limb muscle pain (41 cases). Two of the 59 cases died within 60 days of first symptoms. Of 45 patients who came back for re-evaluation after nine months, 38 still had muscle weakness. ... "

Posted by Kathy Meeh